


Pine

by what_a_dork_fish



Series: Cheriks [11]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Drabble, Jealous Charles, M/M, Pining, acherik told me to post this so I did
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-09-01
Packaged: 2018-12-22 09:49:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11964897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_a_dork_fish/pseuds/what_a_dork_fish
Summary: A short thing for a prompt on tumblr.





	Pine

Erik tried not to let it get to him, but he couldn’t help being annoyed.

Charles was being very odd. One minute he would be very clingy, always resting his hand on Erik’s arm or shoulder or back, and then the next he would stay about a yard away from Erik and keep his arms folded. He was irritable and flipflopped between emotions so fast Erik could barely keep up. He rarely smiled at Erik anymore.

And he was very cold and distant to Erik’s new friend Kevin. Kevin wasn’t very nice to Charles either, though. He seemed to think he was competing with Charles for something, although Erik couldn’t think what, because Charles seemed utterly uninterested in anything to do with Kevin. That had hurt in the beginning, that his newest friend and his best didn’t get along, but now it was just tiring.

And tonight was supposed to be the one night a month Charles could come to the bar with Erik, but he hadn’t shown up.

“Maybe he’s just gotten held up,” Raven suggested, but she didn’t believe it any more than Erik did. She was the only one who had ever talked to Erik about the behavior of her brother, and she seemed to know something that she didn’t want to talk about. Erik respected that. It was almost as annoying as what Charles was doing, but he respected it all the same.

“Hm,” Erik grunted, taking a swig of beer. He felt rather out of temper, but differently than usual. He couldn’t really describe it. He just really wanted to see Charles tonight, and now he wasn’t going to get to. “I’m going. Goodnight.”

Raven gaped at him as he stood, then said, “Good night.”

Erik nodded curtly and left.

~

“No Charles last night?” Kevin asked, a little  _too_  innocently.

“No,” Erik grunted, slamming his locker shut. “He didn’t even warn me.”

Kevin gave him a sly look that he probably thought Erik didn’t see, but Erik was too tired to care much. He hadn’t slept very well. He was too worried about Charles.

Where was he?

~

A week later, Erik was getting drunk at home alone, when Raven called him.

“What?” he slurred angrily. He’d been getting angry a lot, lately.

“ _Why_  is Kevin telling my brother that you’re dating?” she snarled.

Erik sat up immediately. “What the fuck,” he said. “We’re not–is that why he–god damn it!” He was furious to realize there were tears in his eyes. “Where is Charles?”

“At my place, bawling his eyes out. Get over here, now.”

Erik didn’t even hear that last sentence because he was already heading for the door.

~

He  _wanted_  to go to Kevin’s place and beat him up for hurting Charles like that. But he couldn’t because Charles was crying, Charles was hurt, he had to get to him now now  _now_.

He drove like a demon and somehow did not get pulled over. He tripped on the steps up to Raven’s door, but it opened before he could fall against it.

“Get in here,” Raven snapped, and Erik did. He heard a single sniffle and he was off down the hall, not bothering to take off his shoes.

Charles was sitting on the couch, surrounded by used tissues. He looked up when Erik stopped in the doorway, and his face went very blank.

“I…” Erik said.

“Oh,” Charles said.

“So are you going to explain or not?” Raven demanded of Erik.

He didn’t take his eyes off Charles. “We’re not dating. We never did. I don’t like him like that. He’s a fucking prick for telling you that, and I’m sorry.”

Charle’s lip trembled, but otherwise he didn’t move.

“Was that why you were acting odd? Because he was…?”

“I didn’t think you noticed,” Charles answered stiffly.

“Damn it, Charles, of course I noticed! You’re my best friend and I love–” Erik snapped his mouth shut, horrified. Raven gave a little gasp.

But Charles, Charles was slowly straightening, his stunned expression slowly transforming into the most beautiful, brilliant, shy smile.

“You do?” he asked softly.

“Yes,” Erik whispered.


End file.
